Aerith's inheritance
by Asrialth
Summary: Cissnei delivers a box of letters to Cloud and from then on, everything goes wrong. Denzel and Marlene get captured, Tifa becomes an enemy, Vincent finds Lucrecia, alive... What is happening? Who is behind all this? Nice plot, Romance, adventure, humor
1. Chapter 1 the rightful owner

**Hey everyone! This is the beginning to one of my new stories. Enjoy!**** For a more detailed description before you start reading, check my profile.**

**As always, all rights go to Square Enix, and I want to thank them for creating this world and these characters that we can love so much.**

**-Eline**

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**~Aerith's inheritance~  
****Chapter one  
**_**the rightful owner**_**  
**_By Eline aka Asrialth_

This story contains a box of letters, sealed and confidential. This box is a little box of horrors, because for some reason, it is not supposed to return to it's rightful owner. Bad things happen wherever the box comes. The box survives all this misery, and so it carries with it a whole lot of memories. Memories of life, of death, of tragic love…

For five years, this box, with its determined guide, is on its journey. For five years, its rightful owner is not found. For five years, the owner is oblivious to what is waiting for him.

For five years, the secrets have remained secrets. But they are about to be exposed. The recently restored peace in Midgar, is about to be broken.

Cissnei pulled the handle of the van's door. The door opened while the thing was still driving, and she jumped out of the van, onto the dry desert ground. The chauffeur of the van didn't notice. He hadn't even noticed that Cissnei had gotten into the van in the first place, something that proved her being worthy of her Turk title.

In the five years of her mission, Cissnei hadn't changed much, something that was quite strange if you think of what she had been through over the last years. She had seen the worst terrors imaginable, she had faced death many times and she had outrun it, she had seen death take her friends and her dear ones, and yet she had still remained loyal to her boss and the other turks, yet she was still determined to finish her mission, and yet she still had the power to remain herself, even after all she had been through.

Sure, her suit wasn't as perfectly cleaned and ironed as it used to be, and her hair wasn't as beautifully curled as it used to be, but she hadn't lost her talent which had made her the youngest member of the turks ever… She had become better, even.

When Cissnei reached the ground, she collapsed. A high whine escaped her lips briefly, and her hands flew to her thigh immediately. She stood up and inspected the long wound on her right leg. Her dark trousers were cut and through the long hole, you could see the deep cut, inflicted by a sword of one followers of Jenova. Cissnei had heard all the stories of the new hero that had restored the balance and peace in the world. The one who had fought former hero Sephiroth for the second time in his life, and who had won again. Cloud Strife. She had heard that he had fought with the young Kadaj and his friends and that he had won that too. He had saved his entire town Edge from its destruction.

These stories had made Cissnei even more determined to find Cloud. Cloud deserved to have the box of letters more than anyone else did. She had followed Zack after he had fled with the unconscious Cloud to give him back the box with letters from the Ancient. She had lost Reno and Rude then, and she had continued the journey on her own after Zack had died, to find Cloud and give him the box, for she knew that Zack would want Cloud to have it. After word reached her of Aerith Gainsborough's death, who had fought by Cloud's side and had died, Cissnei decided to do whatever it took to see Cloud. But the box had worked against her. Or at least some great power had. She kept being followed by people who wanted the box, or people who didn't want the box to reach Cloud, and that's where she had lost all connections with the turks. She knew that there was some sort of company after her. Some company as great as SOLDIER had once been. But that was impossible. SOLDIER was gone. And she was chasing the last SOLDIER still living right now. Then who was after her?

Cissnei shook her head lightly. Better not to keep thinking of the horrors that were after her, but to prepare for the coming meeting with celebrity Cloud Strife.

She could see the ruins of Midgar and behind that, the parts of the city that had been rebuilt, now called Edge, the hometown of the few survivors. It was only a two-mile walk from here until she would reach the city, and from there, it would be so easy to find Cloud and finally end her mission. Perhaps she could even return to the turks after that. Cloud must have a telephone she could use. It would be the first chance of contacting Tseng in three years.

Cissnei straightened up, ignoring the stabbing and throbbing pain in her leg, and started to walk.

"Cloud, Cloud!"

The spiky-haired young man looked around at the sound of Marlene's voice. His hand rested lightly on the bar while his other hand was holding a glass –filled with water- to his mouth. He paused in his movement and exchanged an amused look with Tifa, who was standing on the other side of the bar.

Marlene had been looking for insects for some days now, and every hour she returned to show Tifa and Cloud what she had found. Denzel and Marlene had reached the age that they didn't want to play together anymore and so Marlene set out to play on her own every day.

"What did you find this time, Marlene?" Cloud laughed, "another three-legged dragonfly?"

"No Cloud!" Marlene said, her high-pitched voice excited, "there's someone here to see you."

"Really?" Cloud answered, his eyebrows raised, "who would be looking for me?"

"Probably one of your fans, Cloud," Tifa said, and she continued with a playful smile, "oh, Cloud Strife, would you sign my underwear please?"

Cloud frowned and answered ruefully, "that was only once, Tifa, and I kicked those girls out."

"Girls and one boy," Tifa pointed out.

"Let her in, Marlene," Cloud sighed, ignoring Tifa.

Marlene smiled the typical innocent and happy-no-matter-what smile that always reminded Cloud of Aerith, and ran out of the door again, entering with a young woman of whom he at first thought he didn't know. But then he recognized her suit. She was one of the turks! And she looked awful. It had been so long since he had seen a turk, and then especially a woman, that he was totally abashed for a moment, before he started to realize that she needed medical help, and soon too.

She looked as if she would faint any time now, her hair hung loose and greasy around her shoulders, her suit was torn on several spots and her face was pale and tired. Still, he could see what a pretty girl she was. Cloud couldn't remember any other female turk members except for the one he had met such a long time ago, but he couldn't remember her name anymore. If it was her, why had she come for him? No, that had been Elena, and this girl certainly was too young to be Elena.

"Right, so it's no great fan of yours," Tifa whispered so only Cloud could hear.

The turk's face lit when she saw Cloud and she smiled a smile as happy as someone who saw the sun for the first time.

"Cloud Strife. My name is Cissnei. I've traveled such a long way and such a long time to find you. Finally, we meet once again," the girl said, in a soft voice that was nearly a whisper. Cloud nodded but otherwise knew nothing to say. The girl said 'once again' so she must be the turk he had met such a long time ago.

"Okay," Tifa muttered under her breath, "so it ís a crazy fan. The craziest." She continued out loud: "may I ask you who you are and what you are doing here, it has been long since we've seen turks in here, especially those who were in such a bad shape as you are." Tifa ran from behind the bar with a glass of water, and offered it to the girl, who drank it thankfully and sat down. Even if this girl had bad intentions, she was harmless now.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud asked her.

"A mission," the girl answered in her soft gentle voice.

"So the turks are after me again?"

"No! Not in the bad way," Cissnei said and looked at Cloud pleadingly, "I'm here after having tried to reach you for almost five years. But dangers kept crossing my path and it took me so long to get here that I couldn't reach you before. But I'm here now, finally."

Tifa shot a concerned glance into Cloud's direction. It was long since he'd been so down and depressed, but every memory of Zack and Aerith gave him a down period again. And this girl was saying things about five years ago… Around the time when Zack had died. Indeed, Cloud's happy mood shifted.

"What are you here for, exactly?"

"I'm here to bring you something that belongs to you," Cissnei answered, "it was my mission to deliver it to its rightful owner, and so I tried. I lost contact with the turks three years ago when I lost my cell phone in a fight, and so I set out alone to accomplish my mission. I knew where to find you, especially when word spread so soon about your recent victory on Kadaj and his men. About which I, by the way, have to thank you."

"Why?" Cloud asked her.

"Because they had fought me before, but left before they had killed me. I was sure they would come back."

"That wound on you thigh," Tifa said, "did Kadaj do that?"

Cissnei nodded and Tifa hissed: "why?"

"They wanted what I was bringing to Cloud."

"And what exactly _is_ this thing of which Cloud is the rightful owner?" Tifa asked.

"Well," Cissnei said, "he's not exactly the rightful owner… The rightful owner has passed away five years ago. But I know Zack would have wanted Cloud to have it."

"This is about Zack?" Cloud asked, a little bit louder than he had intended. Cissnei cringed at Zack's name.

"Yes it is. Five years ago, I was set out to bring this sealed and confidential box to first class SOLDIER Zack, who was on the run of the other SOLDIERS, with his friend Cloud. My boss was a friend and partner of Zack's, and he was actually supposed to go after Zack and capture him. But he couldn't. He could not kill or capture his friend, and instead he ordered us to save him and bring him this confidential box."

"What exactly is in this box?" Cloud asked.

"Letters."

"Letters?" Cloud asked, one eyebrow raised, "you risked your live so many times just to bring letters to a dead guy?"

"It was my mission!" Cissnei defended herself, "and Zack was my friend."

"He was your friend?" Cloud asked weakly, as if he was very tired.

"He was. He was my friend even before he met you. He was my boss' friend and partner even before he met me."

"Oh," Cloud suddenly understood, "your boss, it's Tseng."

"You know him?"

"I met him on a mission, on the day that I met Zack too. Our helicopter crashed and we had to walk further. The stupid thing is… I met him three years ago as well, at the time where I fought Kadaj and his gang."

Cissnei nodded.

"That's odd," she mused, "that he never mentioned these letters to you…"

"Anyway, why did Tseng want you to deliver these letters so dearly? And who sent them? His mother?" Cloud asked.

"Tseng wanted these letters to be delivered because he thought that Zack had seen enough bad things in his life. I think Tseng wanted Zack to be happy, and I think he knew that Zack would be happy to receive these letters. And Tseng had another reason I don't know. He just found the letters very important. There must be something in them that was of great value. That's why this mission was so important."

"Can I see the box?" Cloud asked. Cissnei nodded and grabbed a little square box out of a ragged bag at her hip. It looked as if it hurt to give them away. The box was brown and covered in tape that said 'confidential'. Cissnei handed the box to Cloud, whose hands were shaking. For the first time in five years, next to the buster-sword, he was holding something that was Zack's.

"How many letters are in there?" Cloud asked her.

"88, written in four years."

Cloud looked at the box for a long time. He didn't know if he wanted to open it. He didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings, but he didn't want to read the letters either. He was genuinely curious about of whom the letters were, though. And he had a vague idea. Another reason not to open the box. It would hurt too much.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Tifa asked, who had put her arm around Cloud's shoulder for support.

"I'm not sure."

"Take your time, Cloud," Cissnei said softly. She surely was good at her job. For five years, she had carried with her a highly dangerous box, containing information that was really valuable, so valuable even that someone sent his men after her and she never even thought of opening it and now she finally got the chance to see what was inside, and she didn't take it.

Cloud nodded and put the box on the table next to him. He didn't say anything for a long time, his mind wandering through all of his memories with Zack and Aerith.

Finally, Tifa broke the silence.

"Cissnei, you look awful. Let me offer you a room where you can sleep and recover."

The night passed slowly while Cloud couldn't sleep. He lay in his bed for several hours before he gave up and went downstairs again. He walked behind the bar, and grabbed some of the strongest drinks there were. It was the first time in a long, long time that he drank alcohol to forget about the things around him, but he couldn't care less right now. He just had to forget. He didn't want to think about the red-haired girl upstairs, who had gotten a fever and of whom the doctor had said she would probably not make it. She had risked her life many times to reach Cloud, and now came the backfire. Cloud did not want to think about the brown box either, even though he had carried it around all afternoon and it was lying on his lap right now. He didn't want to think about the one who had written those letters or the one who had been supposed to receive them. He didn't want to think of anything that linked to the past. Hís past.

Cloud filled his glass and sipped the cool drink. It burned in his throat, and actually, it felt good. It made him feel warm again. After his third glass, his sight started to fail and the walls started to spin around him. Cloud laughed, although there was nothing funny about the situation. Actually, it was rather sad. That thought made Cloud laugh even harder. The irony was unmistakable: the most famous guy in town, who was honored by everyone because he was such a brave person, was now alone, laughing to himself and drinking away his problems in a dark pub at night. Cloud laughed again and nearly fell of his chair. When he sat up again, the complete misery of the situation suddenly came crushing down on him, and while there was still a hint of a smile on his face, he started to cry. Hot tears welled up in his eyes and ran down his cheek. He buried his face in his arms and laid his head on the table, his shoulders shaking, and sobs rising up his throat every now and then. Right there, at the bar, he fell asleep.

"Cloud, honey, wake up!" Tifa's gentle whisper sounded in Cloud's ear. Something hot stroke his forehead and it took a minute before he understood that it was the sun shining through the window. He lifted his head and looked at Tifa. Tifa's face was looking so sweet and gentle and understanding that it made Cloud feeling ashamed even more than when she had laughed at him for being so stupid.

"I'm sorry," Cloud said in a hoarse voice. He felt horrible and he knew he looked that way too.

"Don't be sorry, Cloud, I understand you completely," Tifa answered and kindly stroke his hair. That made Cloud feel even worse. He didn't need the compassionate Tifa to be worried about him, or to care for him when the turk upstairs actually needed her.

"It was stupid," he said.

"It was logical," Tifa said in a voice that meant that she had won the argument, and her tone suddenly turned severe, "and now get up and change, because you look like crap."

Cloud laughed. Tifa would always try to be the boss of him. Something that mostly worked.

Cloud dressed properly and wanted to go downstairs again to help Tifa clean up before the bar would open, but he couldn't help peeking into the spare room where the turk was now sleeping. Cissnei's face was pale and peaceful, and a little smile played around her full lips. Cloud wanted to walk away but for some reason, he stayed there, and he watched Cissnei. She was the only link to his former life. The only way to get more information about Aerith and Zack. It was unhealthy to think of them, he knew, but he just had to.

His headache was vanishing and suddenly he remembered his plan to help Tifa downstairs. He could not spend the entire day watching a girl he did not know! He backed out of the room and walked downstairs.

The rest of the day, he spent with doing jobs for Tifa. It seemed like she was just making up all sorts of useless jobs to give Cloud something to do, for most of the time he was busy with things as filling the empty whine bottles with water and then emptying them again. He didn't ask questions, though, and just did as Tifa told him. He was grateful for her help and her tries to make him feel better. And the best thing was, that she didn't ask him about the box, that was haunting him the entire day. The box lay on his bed, still unopened and very threatening. It was burning holes in his mind and in his heart and still he could not force himself to open it. One day, he kept telling himself, one day he was going to open it. When he was ready. Not now.

In the meantime, the red-haired turk was still unconscious and no one knew what to do about it. Tifa feared for her life, but didn't dare to get a doctor because turks were treated al around Edge with suspicion and hostility.

Two days passed and nor Tifa, nor Cloud told anyone about Cissnei. As if he knew that something was happening, Vincent Valentine stepped by for the first time in three months and stayed for the night. He knew that something weird was going on, but, to Cloud's and Tifa's joy, he did not ask about it. In stead, he played with Marlene to give Tifa and Cloud some space, and they loved him for it.

On the fourth day after her arrival, Cissnei's fever went down. Cloud was sitting next to her bed, a place where he had sat a lot in the last four days, and he suddenly saw her mouth trembling. Her lips parted slightly and muttered something that he couldn't understand.

"Tifa!" he called, "She waking up!"

Tifa came running up the stairs, a towel still in her hand, and she kneeled down beside the bed and felt Cissnei's forehead.

"She's getting better!" she said startled.

Cloud and Tifa looked at each other with genuine joy in their eyes. Tifa, because she was so kindhearted that she would look after everyone and Cloud because he wanted to be able to ask her things about Zack and Aerith. No, actually he didn't want to. Yes, he did. No. He just wanted that there was a possibility to ask someone about his past and the past of his dead friends, without really having to ask.

Cissnei opened her eyes slowly and looked around the room. Then she focused her eyes on Cloud.

"Did you…?" she asked silently.

"No," Cloud answered.

"You should."

"I know."

Cissnei closed her eyes again and fell asleep in a peaceful slumber.

That evening, Cloud was sitting at the bar, on his own, because Tifa was cleaning up upstairs. The bar was still closed. Cloud frowned. He couldn't get his mind of the box, that was still on his bandstand, picked up a thousand times but put down every time as well. What should he do?

Suddenly, he heard slow, heavy footsteps behind him. Vincent was coming towards him.

"You're having a hard time," Vincent said, while he leaned against the bar as if he actually didn't care, as if he was musing over something. Typical Vincent Valentine.

"I am," Cloud nodded.

"Does it have anything to do with the deceased turk in room 12?"

"You noticed, huh?" Cloud said and was extremely thankful that his mysterious friend wasn't the nosy type.

"How could I not notice? She brings a lot of commotion to the house."

"I know."

"And to you."

"Yes."

"She's awake," Vincent said in his low voice, "and she's asking for you."

"You talked to her?" Cloud asked, stunned, "without us knowing?"

"I went to my room yesterday and I heard someone mutter 'Cloud', so decided to take a look."

"I don't know if I'm ready yet to talk to her," Cloud said silently. He looked at his hands as if he could find the solution there.

"I still think you should talk to her. She sounded really urgent. I don't know what is going on here, Cloud, but my intuition says that it is something important. You have to be careful."

"Thanks, Vincent," Cloud sighed, "I'll… see what I'll do. But I'll be careful."

"Good," Vincent concluded and without saying anything else, he walked away, leaving Cloud in doubt about what to do. Cloud eventually stood up and went outside, to take Fenrir for a ride and to deliver some packages.

When he came back, Tifa was waiting for him in the door opening, while Marlene was running around her legs in an attempt to get her attention. Tifa, however was way too worried about Cloud to think of Marlene at the moment so when Cloud finally showed up, she said: "Marlene, could you please go playing somewhere inside? I have to talk to Cloud."

"It's so not fair!" Marlene whined, "you always send me away! You never play with me anymore!"

Tifa raised an eyebrow, for she had played with Marlene all afternoon. Marlene knew so she turned around and walked into the house angrily. Oh dear. She was getting her adoptive father's temper. Tifa just couldn't wait until Marlene would get into puberty.

"You wanted to speak to me?" Cloud asked while he put away his bike. Motorcycling always gave his mind some peace, so he felt better now.

"Yes," Tifa hesitated, "I just spoke to Cissnei, and she's getting better."

"Oh, that's great," Cloud said, feeling very relieved, "is she up now?"

"Yes, and she wants to speak to you."

"Yes, Vincent told me so, too," Cloud sighed, hoping that people would just let him be for a moment.

"I think you should," Tifa added softly.

"Yes, Vincent told me that too," Cloud grumbled.

"Vincent is right," Tifa said and she smiled weakly, "deal with this is your own way, Cloud, and take your time with doing what you need to do to make yourself get out of this happily. It's just that… everything that has to do with you, you can figure out for yourself at you own time. But when what you do affects others…"

"Okay, okay!" Cloud said, "I'll talk to her immediately, if it makes you all feel better." He shoved Tifa out of the way and stormed into the bar with long, hasty steps, while mumbling unintelligible things.

When he reached room twelve, he hesitated before he entered. What should he say? What _could_ he say? He couldn't possibly begin with: "hello, thanks for risking your life for five years to reach me, but I am really being a pussy and I'm having a hard time so I'd rather not speak to you. Good bye."

He sighed at his own weakness, because yes, he Vincent and Tifa were right, he _was_ being a pussy. He sighed one more time and entered the room.

Cissnei lay with her head in the last sunlight of the day that came through the open window. She looked better than she had before. She smiled an unsure smile. Like Cloud, she didn't know what to say either.

"Hi," she said.

"Hey," he answered and he cleared his throat, "uhm. How are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you." They avoided each other's eyes until Cissnei decided that it was ridiculous to act this way.

"I think that Tifa will adopt me very soon," she said, with the hint of a smile on her face.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Cloud asked, finding Cissnei's words extremely strange.

"She's treating me as if she's my mother," Cissnei said, and couldn't help laughing at Cloud's stupid expression, "if I ever will be able to get away from here again, I'll be so spoiled that I won't know how to tie my own shoes anymore."

Cloud laughed.

"She tends to do that to a lot of people, indeed," he said, "it's a miracle that I'm still so thin… Tifa fills me with food as if I'm constantly hungered."

"Wow, the word "ungrateful" is an understatement here," Tifa's voice sounded from behind them and Cloud looked around guiltily while Tifa scowled at him.

"What? No, I didn't mean-" Cloud tried to save himself.

Tifa merely laughed and then winked.

"I know, stupid!" she said, picked up some laundry from the floor and walked away.

Cloud cleared his throat again.

"So, where were we again?" he asked. Now their conversation had become so light, it was easier to say things.

Cissnei shrugged.

"Oh, yes, there was something I wanted to ask you," Cloud said.

"What is it?" Cissnei answered.

"Well, when you came here, you said: 'so we meet again'. What did you mean by that? I'm really sorry, but I can't remember ever having seen you before."

"No, you are right," Cissnei said, "I have seen you before, but you were unconscious, and definitely not as grown up as you are now. You were in service of SOLDIER back then."

"Oh, right, you were a friend of… Zack's, so you must have seen me when I was nearly dead."

"You know," Cissnei said, "I even was the one who saved you and Zack from Hojo's lab. The turks were the ones who got you to safety. And eventually, we got the assignment to hunt you down again, and we tried. But Tseng and I cared for you guys, so when I eventually found you, I mislead the turks and pretended not to know where you were." She sounded proud.

"So I owe you a lot, then," Cloud sighed, "it's weird to find out that someone that you have never met before has done so many things to make you survive. Thank you, Cissnei."

"You are welcome, Cloud. You saved the world two times, after all, so everything I did was for the greater good."

Cloud merely nodded.

"I'm… going downstairs," he finally said, after they were both silent for a while.

"Okay, but Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I make a phone call? I really want to call Tseng, I haven't spoken to him in three years."

"Sure!" Cloud answered, "Tifa already sent him a letter, but I don't think that one has arrived yet." He handed her the phone and then left the room.

Cissnei slowly dialed the number that she remembered. She just hoped that Tseng hadn't changed his number. The phone rang several times, before someone picked it up.

"A good afternoon, Department of Administrative Research, Tseng speaking."

Cissnei was so startled for a moment, that she nearly hung up the phone again, but she was a good turk for a reason: she didn't let her emotions take control.

"Hello?" Tseng's voice sounded impatient.

"Tseng!" Cissnei said.

"Who am I speaking to?"

"It's Cissnei, Tseng. Cissnei."

"Cissnei?"

"Yes. Remember me?" she added carefully.

"Cissnei!"

"Yes!"

"You are alive!"

"Yes!"

"Thank God! What has happened! This is a miracle! We had already given up on hope! It's been three years! Dear GOD, Cissnei!"

"You didn't think I would back out before the end of a mission, now, would you?" Cissnei teased, having found her self-control again.

"I guess not," Tseng answered, "I guess I underestimated you, Cissnei. But I should have known: you are the youngest member of the turks for a reason. I'm just very glad, I can hardly believe it. Where are you? Are you safe?"

"I'm staying with ex-SOLDIERmember Cloud Strife and his friend Tifa Lockheart."

"Oh, that means you're in good hands. I'm glad about that. When can you come here, Cissnei? We'll send a helicopter!"

"Well, I'm hoping to come as soon as I can, of course!" Cissnei said, whose main character-flaw was her integrity. She had completely forgotten about her injured leg and her fever.

"Ahem," Tifa walked into the room, "I don't want to stick my nose into your business, Cissnei, but please do me the honor of giving me your phone."

Cissnei reluctantly handed Tifa her cell.

"Tseng? It's Tifa speaking."

"Oh, hello Tifa, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing great, Tseng, but unfortunately, your workaholic colleague isn't."

"What's wrong with her?" Tseng asked, genuinely concerned.

"She's got some serious injuries and she's suffering from a fever, dehydration, and exhaustion."

"Oh."

"So I'm afraid that she won't be able to come to you."

"I guess not," Tseng said and sighed, "well, make her rest as much as you can, Tifa, and I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Tseng."

"What on earth has happened to her, exactly?" he asked.

"We are all dying to know, but I'm sure she'll tell us when she's ready. You'll hear more when you get here."

"Okay, thank you for your cares, Tifa. Bye."

Tseng hung up the phone, not waiting for Tifa's response.

"Try not to overdo it with the work, will you?" Tifa asked Cissnei, and looked up. She smiled, for Cissnei had already fallen asleep.

Tifa walked downstairs again and started to mop the bar. It seemed like lately, she had nothing more to do than cleaning up and cooking. Perhaps Cissnei and Cloud were right, she was turning into a housewife, and already at this age? Man, where had the fighting-always-kicking-ass-martial-artist gone? She had to make fun more.

"Hi Vincent," she said, when he walked in with a tired looking Denzel at his arm, "and hi, Denzel."

"Hi Tifa," Denzel said, but something about the way he was talking made him sound suspicious.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked. Gee, she even responded as a mom now.

"I found this boy here, while he was trying to steal things from the market," Vincent said, "I saved him from getting angry people after him."

"Thank you, Vincent," Tifa said, "Denzel, why did you do this?"

"Everybody does! It's fun!" Denzel defended himself.

"Wow, good reason, Denzel. Go to your room," Tifa sighed, without sounding really severe.

"It's true, Tifa," Denzel said, "everything's boring. Nothing ever happens anymore!"

"I kind of like the peace," Tifa said, "war isn't nice, Denzel. Now go to your room."

"I am sorry, Tifa," Denzel said, before he left the room, "But I don't regret it."

"DENZEL!"

"Sorry. I'm gone already."

"He turned fourteen last week and he is already acting as if he owns the world," Tifa sighed, "and I turned twenty-five and I'm already acting like a mother. What has become of me? Denzel is right: everything is boring, and it's turning us into boring people."

"I like the peace it brings," Vincent answered.

"Yeah, me too, but I'm not used to it, I guess."

"I think, Tifa, that this is the silence before the storm," Vincent said, and he turned around and looked out of the window.

"What do you mean, Vincent?"

"I have this feeling, Tifa, that something is about to happen. Something bad. And the feeling started when the turk arrived."

"That's why you stepped by," Tifa concluded.

"Yeah. But what will happen? I fear that it won't be boring for much longer, Tifa."

"That scares me," Tifa said, "if only Cloud knew how to handle his pain."

"He'll find a way," Vincent said, and walked out of the bar.

Cloud was sitting in Aerith's church, close to the water surface. He was holding the box of letters in his hand and he was looking into the water as if that would come up with a solution.  
"Tell me, what should I do?" Cloud mumbled to himself. He thought of the first day that he had come here, that he fell out of the sky, right into the flowers. There he had met Aerith.  
Would she have wanted him to open the box? The box with private letters to Zack?  
Yes, she would. He knew. She wanted him to, because she wanted him to be happy, and she knew that Cloud became happy of everything that made him find out more things about her and Zack.  
Yes. He knew what to do. He was going to dig up the past again, but this time, his mind would stay in the present. He wouldn't let down Tifa this time. He was strong enough now.  
He got the tape of the box, and then lifted the lid. There was a huge pile of handwritten letters, all in a handwriting he knew. His assumptions had been right, they were Aerith's.  
He carefully picked up the first letter, scared to find out what was in it, but also curious. His eyes ran over the page quickly and he found himself smiling.

_Hey Zack,_  
_It's me. How are you doing? Are you somewhere on a mission, trying to save the world? It sounds pretty heroic, but it makes me scared nonetheless. There is a lot of trouble out there and, even though you're strong, you don't always know what you are up against. Be careful, please?_  
_I think you will like to hear that the flowers are selling really well! I'm making a lot of money, which I use to help the people rebuild their houses. I feel great, because I'm actually helping people._  
_I miss you, Zack, when will you drop out of the sky again?_  
_I hope this letter will reach you._  
_Aerith_

Cloud smiled again. The sweetness was so overly Aerith. Still, he couldn't help feeling a bit jealous of Zack. Yes, Aerith and himself had never really had a relationship, but still he had really liked Aerith. Even though she had expressed a lot of interest in him, Cloud knew that she had always loved Zack, the way she had never loved him. He lay the letter aside and picked up another one.

_Hey Zack,_  
_I haven't written to you for like a week, so I guess it's about time! I never received anything back from you, so I think that saving the world takes a lot of time. Please find some time to write back to me._  
_Today, this blond boy walked up to me and bought one of my flowers. He seemed kind of nervous. It was really sweet, actually, for he probably bought it for his girl. Nobody has ever given me a flower to show me how much he cares for me. I would like one though._  
_Anyway, I'm going into town, so I'll write to you soon. I'll post this letter on the way._  
_I will see you soon, right?_  
_Aerith_

Cloud's smile turned into an awed gaze when he read the part about the boy buying a flower. Could she mean him? It was odd, almost as if she was talking to him personally. He picked one letter after the other, all containing sweet information about Aerith's life, and her pleads for Zack to return to her.

…_Remember your promise, Zack? I wanted to spend more time with you, and you agreed. Now, where are you?..._

…_You probably don't even get these letters anymore, but I just have to have hope! I must keep writing, although I don't even know where I have to send them to anymore…_

…_Zack, where are you?..._

…_Write back to me…_

…_I miss you… …Come back!... where are you… I need you… _

Almost all the letters contained these little sentences, and Cloud admired Aerith's willpower. She never gave up on hope. She had always trusted that Zack would somehow receive these letters.  
The more Cloud read, the more he found out about the way Aerith had lived in her last months. She was protected by the turcs, mainly by some he knew as well. He read Reno's name several times. Rude's, Elana's, even Tseng's name was there from page to page. Cloud couldn't help feeling a bit angry with Reno for knowing Aerith almost better than he had known her herself. For instance

_Hi Zack,_  
_I'm sitting here next to my flower field, wondering what to write to you. With me right now are Elana, Reno and Rude. Reno is still such an ungentlemanlike person. He annoys me a lot, because he tries to read what I'm writing to you and he is such a nosy person. Plus, his flirting is not working._  
_Ha, he read that too. Good. Now he's sulking in a corner._  
_It doesn't feel nice that they –the turks I mean- are watching my every step twenty-four hours a day. On the other hand, I really like (most of) them, so it isn't such a vexation. It just bothers me that I'm not capable of telling you everything I would like. They love secrecy and they don't respect mine…_

The letter continued like that for a while, with complaining about the lack of privacy and things like that, but Cloud wasn't interested in that. She did that in almost all of her letters, complaining about not being able to express what she felt in her letters because people read it and all. But mostly, he was interested in Aerith playfully pretending not to like Reno, even though it was easy to see that she was really fond of him. She just thought he was rude. Without the capital R.  
Cloud had read the first eight letters now, and he felt like a weight was pushing him down. Instead of feeling better, he felt worse than before. These letters were so obviously not meant for him, these words of fondness dedicated to someone else. This world, this life that Aerith was talking about, was not one where he belonged in. It was Zack's. Cloud felt like he was intruding in his personal stuff. He knew when he began reading that it was actually wrong to read the letters, because they were not officially his, but still he couldn't _not_ read them.  
He sighed, stood up and headed back to Seventh Heaven.  
"I'm back," he screamed when he entered the house.  
"Are you…okay?" Tifa asked, running towards him.  
"As okay as I can be right now," Cloud answered and sent her a reassuring smile.  
Vincent came running into the room, looking more upset than they had ever seen him before.  
"Come quickly. Denzel is gone, and there is blood everywhere..."

---------------------------------------------------------------

**Hey, this was the end to part one. More will come! Please review, it makes me more eager to write more.  
thank you all for reading and I hope you have enjoyed it.**


	2. Chapter 2 discoveries

**This is chapter two, everyone. I hope you like it, it took me a lot of time and angry parents, and I do hope that it was worth the time. I loved writing this, and I hope you will like reading it as much as how I liked writing it.  
I am completely aware of the fact that the last part of my previous chapter really sucked, because I was stressed and I wanted to have it published ASAP. I changed it however into something that doesn't ruin the plot that much but only gives small hints, that you won't probably even notice yet.  
For those who don't want to read the previous chapter all over again, I added the changed part beneath. Enjoy, everyone, and thanks again for being so supportive. I would really like you to review this chapter as well as the previous one, because I really want to know what to think.  
A special thanks to Lisa as well, who is reading all of my long chapters and finds the time to correct them as well. Thank you!  
- Eline**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**~Aerith's inheritance~  
chapter one  
ending**

Cloud was sitting in Aerith's church, close to the water surface. He was holding the box of letters in his hand and he was looking into the water as if that would come up with a solution.  
"Tell me, what should I do?" Cloud mumbled to himself. He thought of the first day that he had come here, that he fell out of the sky, right into the flowers. There he had met Aerith.  
Would she have wanted him to open the box? The box with private letters to Zack?  
Yes, she would. He knew. She wanted him to, because she wanted him to be happy, and she knew that Cloud became happy of everything that made him find out more things about her and Zack.  
Yes. He knew what to do. He was going to dig up the past again, but this time, his mind would stay in the present. He wouldn't let down Tifa this time. He was strong enough now.  
He got the tape of the box, and then lifted the lid. There was a huge pile of handwritten letters, all in a handwriting he knew. His assumptions had been right, they were Aerith's.  
He carefully picked up the first letter, scared to find out what was in it, but also curious. His eyes ran over the page quickly and he found himself smiling.

_Hey Zack,_  
_It's me. How are you doing? Are you somewhere on a mission, trying to save the world? It sounds pretty heroic, but it makes me scared nonetheless. There is a lot of trouble out there and, even though you're strong, you don't always know what you are up against. Be careful, please?_  
_I think you will like to hear that the flowers are selling really well! I'm making a lot of money, which I use to help the people rebuild their houses. I feel great, because I'm actually helping people._  
_I miss you, Zack, when will you drop out of the sky again?_  
_I hope this letter will reach you._  
_Aerith_

Cloud smiled again. The sweetness was so overly Aerith. Still, he couldn't help feeling a bit jealous of Zack. Yes, Aerith and himself had never really had a relationship, but still he had really liked Aerith. Even though she had expressed a lot of interest in him, Cloud knew that she had always loved Zack, the way she had never loved him. He lay the letter aside and picked up another one.

_Hey Zack,_  
_I haven't written to you for like a week, so I guess it's about time! I never received anything back from you, so I think that saving the world takes a lot of time. Please find some time to write back to me._  
_Today, this blond boy walked up to me and bought one of my flowers. He seemed kind of nervous. It was really sweet, actually, for he probably bought it for his girl. Nobody has ever given me a flower to show me how much he cares for me. I would like one though._  
_Anyway, I'm going into town, so I'll write to you soon. I'll post this letter on the way._  
_I will see you soon, right?_  
_Aerith_

Cloud's smile turned into an awed gaze when he read the part about the boy buying a flower. Could she mean him? It was odd, almost as if she was talking to him personally. He picked one letter after the other, all containing sweet information about Aerith's life, and her pleads for Zack to return to her.

…_Remember your promise, Zack? I wanted to spend more time with you, and you agreed. Now, where are you?..._

…_You probably don't even get these letters anymore, but I just have to have hope! I must keep writing, although I don't even know where I have to send them to anymore…_

…_Zack, where are you?..._

…_Write back to me…_

…_I miss you… …Come back!... where are you… I need you… _

Almost all the letters contained these little sentences, and Cloud admired Aerith's willpower. She never gave up on hope. She had always trusted that Zack would somehow receive these letters.  
The more Cloud read, the more he found out about the way Aerith had lived in her last months. She was protected by the turcs, mainly by some he knew as well. He read Reno's name several times. Rude's, Elana's, even Tseng's name was there from page to page. Cloud couldn't help feeling a bit angry with Reno for knowing Aerith almost better than he had known her herself. For instance

_Hi Zack,_  
_I'm sitting here next to my flower field, wondering what to write to you. With me right now are Elana, Reno and Rude. Reno is still such an ungentlemanlike person. He annoys me a lot, because he tries to read what I'm writing to you and he is such a nosy person. Plus, his flirting is not working._  
_Ha, he read that too. Good. Now he's sulking in a corner._  
_It doesn't feel nice that they –the turks I mean- are watching my every step twenty-four hours a day. On the other hand, I really like (most of) them, so it isn't such a vexation. It just bothers me that I'm not capable of telling you everything I would like. They love secrecy but they don't respect mine…_

The letter continued like that for a while, with complaining about the lack of privacy and things like that, but Cloud wasn't interested in that. She did that in almost all of her letters, complaining about not being able to express what she felt in her letters because people read it and all. But mostly, he was interested in Aerith playfully pretending not to like Reno, even though it was easy to see that she was really fond of him. She just thought he was rude. Without the capital R.  
Cloud had read the first eight letters now, and he felt like a weight was pushing him down. Instead of feeling better, he felt worse than before. These letters were so obviously not meant for him, these words of fondness dedicated to someone else. This world, this life that Aerith was talking about, was not one where he belonged in. It was Zack's. Cloud felt like he was intruding in his personal stuff. He knew when he began reading that it was actually wrong to read the letters, because they were not officially his, but still he couldn't _not_ read them.  
He sighed, stood up and headed back to Seventh Heaven.  
"I'm back," he screamed when he entered the house.  
"Are you…okay?" Tifa asked, running towards him.  
"As okay as I can be right now," Cloud answered and sent her a reassuring smile.  
Vincent came running into the room, looking more upset than they had ever seen him before.  
"Come quickly. Denzel is gone, and there is blood everywhere..."

---------------------------------------------------------

**~Aerith's inheritance~  
chapter two  
**_**discoveries  
**__By Eline aka Asrialth_

The three of them ran towards the stairs. Cloud regretted the fact that he had felt so safe the last couple of days that he had left his sword in his room. Who could have known that he would have to use it again? Just four days ago, everything was normal and then suddenly Cissnei showed up and the whole world was turned upside down.

"Denzel? Denzel!" Tifa screamed as she climbed up the stairs, taking three steps at a time.

"Tifa, be careful," Vincent said to Tifa, trying to sooth her. Tifa didn't listen, she just kept running, unable to notice anything around her and Cloud was sure that she wouldn't even notice if Omega would suddenly appear next to her. And honestly, Cloud couldn't have cared less if it would. All that mattered right now was Denzel and Marlene.

They ran into Denzel's room, Tifa first, then Vincent, then Cloud. Indeed, it was as Vincent has said: the window was open and the grey carpet was filled with little stains of blood.

"What happened? Cloud, what happened? What happened, Cloud? Vincent?" Tifa was on the edge of hysteria.

"Tifa, calm down," Cloud said, knowing that he wasn't calm himself either, "I have to go look for him."

"Where are you going to look? How do you know where he is?"

"I don't, that is why it is called looking." Cloud's voice sounded flat, as if his mind was somewhere else already. Without saying anything more, he left the room and ran up the stairs, to look for his sword.

"Check up on Marlene!" Cloud screamed to them, as he was getting in clothes he could more easily fight in. It had been long since he had worn these for the last time, and doing so pushed a weight on his shoulder. The weight of anticipation. Putting on this suit meant fighting, getting hurt, people dying… And something told him that he was going to have to keep it on for a very long time.

"Marlene…is gone…" Tifa's voice sounded from downstairs. Feeble and without any hope in it. Cloud ran downstairs again and looked through Marlene's room. Indeed, she was gone as well. But there was no blood this time. No trace of a fight, of resistance. Perhaps it was like the last time they had taken Denzel and Marlene away? Marlene had been unharmed while Denzel had had to drink the Black Water. But then again, why would something like that happen again right now? Denzel had been healthy for some time now, the geo-stigma hadn't laid his hands on him again, and Kadaj and his gang were dead. Then what was going on here? Who would have taken them away? And why?

"I will go with you, Cloud," Vincent said next to him.

"We will all go with you!" Tifa said.

"No," Cloud said in his soft, low voice, "we have to split up. It's dangerous, I know, and I don't like to do it, but it is the best way to look for them."

Cloud always hated to do things like that. He remembered always feeling that way when he had to let Tifa go on her own to some big fight, but at the same time, he knew Tifa was a tough one. She was one who was hard to defeat. Perhaps it was not only her physical strength, but also the strength of her determination. If she wanted to get something done, she would. Always.

It was the mother-figure in her. Like the thing Cissnei and Cloud had already talked about that morning; Tifa always got her way, even if it was about silly things of making a sandwich or doing laundry.

Cissnei.

How could they have forgotten about her?

"Indeed we have to split up. But first, let's check on the turk," Cloud said, and he heard Tifa following him when he ran through the hallway, running into Cissnei's room. Cissnei was still there. But she wasn't awake. She as lying next to the bed, unconscious, a trail of blood coming from her mouth.

He lifted her carefully from the ground and laid her into her bed again. The room showed several signs of a struggle. But Cissnei had been weak, and she had lost. How come Tifa and Vincent didn't hear anything when all of this had happened? It must have been so silent that it could have been no one.

Except if...

"Tifa, take care of Cissnei," Cloud said, "Vincent, would you go look for traces of Marlene and Denzel?"

Vincent nodded.

"And what are you going to do, Cloud?" Tifa asked Cloud.

"I … Have to deal with someone first. Wait for me, here." He put his sword on his back and walked out of the room with big, determined steps.

-----

Aerith Gainsborough was sitting next to her flower field, holding a pencil and a paper in her hand.

"Mr Rude, what should I write?"

"She called you Mister, Rude!" a voice sounded from behind her, mocking, "it's probably because of your suit. I don't see anything else about you that makes you a gentleman."

"Well, at least he doesn't have long red hair, Reno," Elana said, who was standing next to Aerith as if she was her bodyguard. Which she probably was, though, because there could only be one reason for the turks standing around the last Cetra alive.

"I think you should write something sweet to him, honey," Elana said to Aerith and looked over her shoulder to see what she was writing, "ask him to see you soon or to visit."

"Is he allowed to visit, then?" Aerith answered a bit sharply.

"We'll see if it is safe then."

"Should I tell Zack about the danger that is coming?"

"NO!" All three turks said together, "you can't do that. What if it falls into the wrong hands?"

"But what if Zack is in danger because of the things that I know?" Aerith asked, her voice more determined than before. She was trying to get her way.

"Aerith, you are the only one who knows what is going to happen, we aren't even allowed to know," Reno said, a little bit whiney because he felt left out, "Tseng told us that we can't ask you and that no one else may know."

"And he is right," Elana said, who felt a great respect for all the rules.

"Well, if I'm not allowed to tell Zack, then so be it…" Aerith said, and sighed as if the others had won the argument. But those who knew her better, saw the little crease above her eyebrows appearing, the sign of having found a solution to a problem. Leave it to Aerith to break the rules. She would find a way to let Zack know…

With a tiny smile, she began writing the letter to Zack, overly confident that he would understand the message of warning lying behind the text.

------

"Tifa?" Cloud asked when he picked up his cell phone. He was riding on his bike and had decided to ignore Tifa's calls, but when she called four times in a row, he figured that whatever she had to say was more important than his mission right now. She knew that he was doing something important and she wouldn't bother him if she didn't think it was more important than that.

"Finally, someone is picking up the phone…" Tifa answered him.

"Yes, sorry, Tifa. What is it? Something wrong?"

"Cissnei just woke up."

"Is she alright?" Cloud asked out of habit, even though right now, he could not be concerned about her now, because there were more important things to worry about. Marlene and Denzel for instant.

"Yes. Well, no, actually. But she is healthy, if that is what you mean," Tifa said mysteriously.

"What do you mean by that?" Cloud asked, alarmed by Tifa's tone.

"She is saying things I don't understand."

"What?"

"I don't know, Cloud, but she says things that don't make sense and I've got the idea that she doesn't recognize me…" Tifa said, "Cloud, what's going on? What is happening? And what are you doing?"

"I don't know what is happening, Tifa. But with Cissnei, it might be the shock? Or the fever has returned?"

"Cloud, she is a well-trained and extremely talented turk, who has been through so much lately that a thing like this just can't get her into shock. And she isn't running a temperature."

"So there must be something else going on with her… What else could make someone so confused in such a short time?" Cloud stopped in his tracks, suddenly everything falling into place.

"Mako poisoning…" Tifa and Cloud said together, corroborating with Cloud's earlier assumptions.

"Tifa, I've got to go! Watch Cissnei!" He hung up the phone before he got an answer and started walking faster. He got the sword in his hand and sighed heavily. This was never going to end, was it? He would try to save the world over and over until he would fail once. He couldn't always be the one ending the battles. There was going to be a time where he wouldn't be strong enough anymore.

But that time wasn't now.

He stopped in front of the building he had tried to reach. It had been long since he had been here for the last time. It felt wrong to be there. But he had to get in anyway. He walked up the stairs towards the big iron doors that led to the building of the turks. Not the one where Rufus Shinra and Reno and Rude had hidden last time, but the official building. After the defeat of Sephiroth, the turks became an official organization again, not a secret one anymore.

And when you had to get to the director of the turks, you had to go to the big building.

He opened the door, and he came into a big white hall, with chairs on both sides for people to wait until they were helped by some of the turks.

"Hi, sir, can I help you?" a receptionist asked Cloud.

"Call upstairs and tell Rufus Shinra that I want to have a word with him," Cloud said, without pausing. He walked over to the giant staircase on the other side of the room.

"Now, sir, please, would you take a seat and wait until mister Shinra wants to speak with you?" the receptionist asked with a nervous look at Cloud's sword and intimidating appearance.

"No, I would not," Cloud said darkly and walked up the stairs with big steps, looking stronger than ever. When Cloud was determined and when he believed in himself, he was lethal.

Halfway up the second staircase, three young turks in uniform came towards him, with guns held high, pointed on Cloud's chest.

"Sir, turn around now," they said, "or we will have to stop you." Cloud nodded and frowned, still determined to walk further.

"Stop it! Glenn, Maddy, Folkert, put away the guns. Let me through," a voice came from behind them.

"Tseng!" Cloud said, surprised. It was a bad thing that he liked Tseng. He would never be able to hurt him if it were necessary.

"Cloud, what are you doing here?"

"I need to speak to Rufus."

"What is wrong? Is Cissnei okay?"

"Right now, Tseng, Cissnei is the only one that is okay. She is suffering from a mako poisoning, but otherwise, the fever is gone and her wound is healing."

"Mako poisoning?" Tseng nodded and his face looked more concerned than before. He was a man who truly cared for his employees. He was a noble man. "But why do _we_ have the honor of your hostile visit? What do _we_ have to do with it, other than that it is one of our employees? You could have just called…"

"It's not about Cissnei, Tseng. I need to speak to Rufus, now. There is something wrong with Denzel and Marlene and I think he knows more about it," Cloud said slowly.

"And what makes you think that Rufus knows more about the kidnapping of children?" Tseng asked, suspicious now.

"Because he did last time."

"That is no argument."

"And I think the people who did this to the kids, were SOLDIERS."

Tseng opened his mouth and then closed it again. He looked at the three young turks who were standing in front of him, all three with eyes big of wonder and eager to know more.

"Follow me, Cloud. Let's continue this somewhere private."

Cissnei still didn't know where she was, though she was coming around finally. Five minutes ago, she recognized Tifa and just a moment ago, she started to speak English again, instead of that other odd language that Tifa didn't know. This was good news, it meant that Cissnei was stronger than the poisoning. Cissnei was such a tough girl, it surprised Tifa that her body and mind could take so much and that she was still standing. Sort of.

"Tifa?" Cissnei's voice sounded odd and crackly after having screamed for so long.

"Cissnei? Are you alright?" Tifa asked and immediately ran to Cissnei's bed. She had been surfing the internet for information about the kids, but, of course, she had found none.

"I don't know," Cissnei said, and in her voice, you could hear the wondered crease above her eyebrows appearing. "TIFA!" she suddenly started to scream, "WHERE IS CLOUD?"

"Relax, shhh, shhh," Tifa said, trying to calm Cissnei, "Cloud is alright."

"But where is he, Tifa? Where is he?" her voice was thick with despair and Tifa didn't understand her anymore. Just a minute ago, at least she had been completely nuts. Now, she knew where and who she was and she was still acting oddly.

"He's fine, Cissnei," Tifa said, talking as if Cissnei was a stubborn five-year-old.

"I need him," Cissnei whispered, "without him, everything will be lost…" And without another word, she sank back into her pillow and lost consciousness.

Tifa sighed. Cissnei wasn't making sense, but for some reason, she felt really scared because of Cissnei's last sentence. All would be lost? What had she seen and heard before she had been floored by the mako? Were there things she knew that could lead her to Marlene and Denzel?

At that moment, the telephone rang. Tifa decided if she could just let it ring, but what if it was something important? Perhaps it was Cloud or Vincent with news. She walked out of the room to the bar and picked up the phone with the regular sentence.

"Strife Delivery Service, you name it, we deliver…" she said.

"Tifa Lockheart," said the voice on the other side of the phone. Tifa was sure she had never heard that voice before, but it was so cold and dark that it turned her blood into ice in that instant. Certainly not a regular costumer.

"Who's this?" Tifa asked firmly.

"Well well… I had never believed that I would ever talk to you in my life…"

"I asked who I am speaking to," Tifa said harsly, preparing to hang up the phone.

"The name doesn't matter. Nor does anything else. All that matters, Tifa Lockheart, is that I have the kids."

"Marlene? Denzel?" Tifa asked and for one little moment, she felt relieved that the kids were alive. That feeling immediately vanished, though, when the man on the other side of the line started talking.

"I will hurt them."

"Don't! Please! Tell me what you want, and I'll make sure you'll get it!" Tifa bluffed desperately.

The voice on the other side of the line laughed humorlessly.

"I am fairly sure that there is no way that you can give me what I want. You can, however, help me get it."

"Anything! Just leave the children alone!"

"You have to come to me, Tifa Lockheart, and the children will be safe."

"But-"

"One hour," the voice said sourly, then he told her where she had to come to and disconnected. Tifa stared at the telephone in her hand as if it was going to whisper a solution to her any moment, but the line stayed dead and Tifa realized she was alone. She dialed Cloud's number, but the line was dead completely. No answer, not even a ring.

Tifa nodded silently to herself as she decided what to do. She had no choice but to obey the anonymous caller, because she had to save the children. She had to get to the address that he had given. She would do anything to save Denzel and Marlene, even if it asked for risking her own life. Her own life meant little to her this time. It was Denzel and Marlene that mattered.

She nodded again and walked back into the hallway to get her stuff. Her heart was pounding wildly, because of the stress of not knowing what it was where she was going. Perhaps she would have to fight, because whoever he was, he would never get Tifa Lockheart, master in the martial arts, without going down himself as well.

Perhaps Cloud's story had finally been told. Perhaps it was time for her to do something that could change the outcome of whatever battle they were in right now. Maybe she would go to the given address to save the kids and she would be defeated very soon. At least she had tried then, and at least the children would go free. Perhaps it was time for her to be the hero for once. Her story might be over soon, and the outcome would be bad for her, but at least she would go down bravely. It would be for a good cause.

She wasn't nervous anymore. She had always known that there was going to be a time where she was going to have to prove herself. That time had come.

"Tifa, don't go," Cissnei's voice sounded from the room next to her. Tifa's had forgotten about Cissnei, to be honest, but she was going anyway. She magically made a smile appear onto her face and went into the room.

"Just going to get some groceries, Cissnei, I'm sure you'll be fine for a moment? Cloud and Vincent will be back any minute now," Tifa smiled assuring and prepared to walk out of the room, but Cissnei's stopped her.

"Don't treat me like a fool, Tifa," Cissnei's voice said threateningly, "I am completely aware of my surroundings again and I just heard your conversation. You can't safe the kids like that. You can't turn yourself in and expect the enemy guy to be such an honest man to let them go as soon as you get there."

"Do you know more about this, Cissnei? Please tell me, then. What happened to you before?"

"I don't know. I only remember images. I remember them talking about using the kids as bait."

"What?" Tifa asked.

"It's a trap, Tifa. He, whoever he is, won't let the kids go if you get there and he won't treat you well. It's a trap for you. He's luring you there!"

"I have to go anyway, Cissnei, if I don't try and something will happen to them… It's better to die trying than to sit back and do nothing. I have to go. You will be safe. Apparently, whoever took the kids didn't need you, so I don't think they will come back for you. Explain everything to Cloud, please, when he comes back, and tell him everything you remember from before the kidnap." Tifa backed out of the room.

"Tifa, wait-"

"Take care, Cissnei."

She walked out of the room, putting on her leather gloves, and prepared for the fight. If the kids were harmed, the mystery man wouldn't get away with it.

--

Vincent kept dialing Seventh Heaven's number, but no one answered the phone. Tifa was there just before he had gone to look for the kids, right? Then why wasn't she picking up the telephone? Had she left or something, or was something bad going on?

After what he had just seen, something bad going on didn't seem so unlikely anymore. He had to reach Cloud or Tifa, or they would do something stupid.

After what he had just found out… All of their lives were at stake now. If Cloud or Tifa fell into the hands of the enemy, whose base Vincent had just found, not only they would be lost, but probably everyone else as well.

Now he had just seen what Mako energy could do… He didn't doubt the power of Cloud's strength and bravery or of Tifa's heart and will, but after what he had just seen people doing to other people… Who could still trust their own will?

No, Cloud nor Tifa, nor anyone else could fall into the hands of this sick organization, or all would be lost.

"Tifa, pick up the damn telephone… Pick up, damn it!" Vincent muttered to his phone, but no one answered. The line kept ringing and ringing, but no one picked up.

The kids were already here, Vincent suddenly thought. What if Tifa had found out? She would do anything for those children. Just like Cloud. Or anyone else of his friends, including himself.

What if Tifa had found out about the place where the children were kept? What if she was already coming here? What if that was the reason that she wasn't picking up the phone? Yes, he was sure that that was the case.

For the first time in his long, long life, Vincent put his head in his hands and groaned in despair of all that would soon be lost. He had just seen it happening… He didn't know who was doing all of this, but there was no doubt about it that he was dangerous, strong and sick. If Tifa would fall into his hands, it would be the beginning of the end.

His phone rang and Vincent quickly picked up.

"Tifa?" he nearly shouted, even though he was very close to a secret camp with dangerous unknown enemies.

"Not quite," a voice as cold as ice said on the other side of the line.

"Who are you?" Vincent demanded, quickly composing himself and sounding as calm as ever.

"Ah… Vincent Valentine. How I have longed to hear your voice again…"

Vincent's phone fell to the ground as he suddenly recognized the voice, and he heard the line disconnect.

No. How was this possible?

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**This was chapter two. I am working on chapter three at the moment and I'll update as soon as possible, but I don't know when that will be, because I'm going on vacation for a while. I'll keep working on it there, though.  
Thanks for taking time reading and reviewing!**


	3. Chapter 3 on the edge of despair

**Hi to all of you loyal readers! I am so happy to be able to write for you, and I am even more happy with the positive reviewers! Thank you, Nigtalea for reviewing so positively. You stimulate me with your enthusiasm! Thanks for that!  
There is one person I dedicate this to, and that is Lisa, my amazing beta-reader, who, once again, worked her ass off to correct all of my spelling and grammar mistakes. Thank you so much!  
As you can see, this chapter is extremely long, but I couldn't help it. Enjoy!  
Huggles to all of you!  
Eline**

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**~Aerith's Inheritance~  
Chapter three  
**_**On the edge of despair**_  
_By Eline aka Asrialth_

"_Miss Gainsborough, miss Gainsborough!" A v__oice sounded from behind her, and Aerith looked around, and saw a very exited Rude. Rude was extremely fond of Aerith, not like Elena, who treated her kindly but saw her as a mission, or Reno, who thought Aerith was hot and therefore flirted with her, or even Tseng, who genuinely liked (and fancied) Aerith but put his work first. No, Aerith was the only one who took Rude seriously and who could blame the ones who didn't, who could take someone seriously who was Reno's best friend?_

_Aerith's kind heart and witty remarks had made him so fond of her that he would do everything for her. He wasn't in love with her or anything, but he just looked up to her and liked__ her a lot, like a real friend._

"_Mr Rude, what is the matter?" Aerith said and smiled at him, "what terrible thing has occurred that made you so hasty?"_

"_It isn't terrible, really," he said and returned her smile._

"_What is it?"_

"_Elena, Reno and I were supposed to watch you the entire morning, but I fooled them by saying that Tseng gave them another assignment for the morning, I figured you would like to write to your SOLDIER friend in privacy, without Elena and Reno watching you."_

"_Oh, Mr Rude, y__ou couldn't have given me a more delightful morning, oh, thank you!" She jumped up and quickly gave him a hug, then grabbed a pencil from somewhere between the pillars, fetched a sheet of paper that was lying on one of the church banks, and then sat down next to the flowerbed and started writing, while Rude kept a distance and respected her privacy._

--Present Day--

Tseng showed Cloud a chair and sat behind his desk, he folded his hands on the table and looked at them for a moment, before lifting up his head and taking in Cloud's face.

"So you think that SOLDIER is out there being the bad guy again," Tseng said, it was not a question, but a statement.

"I 'm just telling you what I see, Tseng," Cloud said, who refused to sit down.

"And what do you see exactly?" Tseng asked politely, but there was an edge to his voice, he was very tired of the conversation and of Cloud in particular. He sounded like he thought it would be impolite to tell Cloud what he thought, but that he also thought Cloud was saying stupid things. Cloud recognized that sound in Tseng's voice, and he furrowed his brows.

"What I see, Tseng is Mako poisoning," Cloud answered.

"Cloud…" Tseng hesitated before answering, looking down at his hands again, "Cloud, you know I think of you like a friend, and an ally in battle, so you have to understand I mean everything that I say well…"

"What is it, Tseng?"

"I think you are prejudiced Cloud, SOLDIER, and we, the Turks, too, have done very bad things to you in the past. To you, to your friends, to your family and to the rest of the world, I am aware of the fact that we haven't always been good, like we are now. For yes, Cloud, we are now a company that does good things, we have made mistakes in the past, but we don't make them anymore."

"Ha, mistakes," Cloud scoffed, "you and SOLDIER have nearly destroyed the world with Shinra, you hurt innocents, you drove Sephiroth crazy, you chased down Zack and then killed him, and…"

"Cloud!" Tseng said, and his voice didn't sound polite anymore, "enough, Cloud, I won't allow you to talk to me like that. Will you please remember that we fought on your side when Bahamut Sin attacked the city and that my boss Rufus Shinra protected Genova's cells for as long as he could from Kadaj, even though he was terminally ill, also, we helped you stop Deep Ground and my boss even funded the WRO, I admit that we have done bad things, but we have atoned!"

"Tseng…"

"You can't conclude that the mystery person who kidnapped the orphans was SOLDIER, just because someone was Mako poisoned."

"They were the only company I know that used Mako so much, I'm the living proof of that."

"A good detective knows not to exclude all other theories when they find a support for one theory, face it, it's not SOLDIER that's doing this, Cloud, please understand. Don't let your prejudices rule your judgment. You know I like you and you know that I would never do anything bad to you or the kids, and no one else in the company would either," Tseng said to Cloud.

"Not of your knowing," Cloud grumbled, Cloud was a nice young man, everybody knew, but now he was stressed and angry and he needed to show that somehow, and Tseng was the unlucky one to hear it.

"Cloud, I respect you a lot and I wish that you find the kids, and I really want to help you find them, but I must ask you to leave now, until you have regained your reason… good luck" Tseng stood up and walked towards the door.

Cloud followed his movements with his eyes but stayed where he was, part of him wanted to apologize to Tseng and to ask for his help, but another part, his pride wanted to shout at Tseng because Cloud _knew_ he was right, SOLDIER _was_ involved in this.

But at the very moment that Tseng's hand reached the doorknob and Cloud opened his mouth to speak, the door burst open, and it would have hurt Tseng a lot, if his reflexes hadn't been so quick and he jumped away in time, composing his startled face quickly enough for Reno and Rude not to see it.

"Thanks for knocking," Tseng told them sarcastically.

"Sorry boss," Reno said, "but we heard that Cloud was here, so we _must_ speak to him," Reno said, shrugging while Rude apologized a hundred times for interrupting.

"Why?" Tseng asked Reno.

"Because we heard that he found Cissnei" Reno answered and for the first time in his life, looked at Cloud with gratitude.

"_He_ found Cissnei?" Tseng asked, amused, "what exactly did you hear?"

"Well," Reno answered, "I heard from the new girl Maddy, who heard from her friend Folkert, who was told by Heidegger, who had talked to the girl from the telephones, whose boyfriend works at the guards, and the girl with whom he cheated on his girlfriend, which is your secretary, heard the telephone conversation yesterday between you and Tifa. So we heard from a very reliable source that Cloud followed an army of three hundred warriors from the south who carried Cissnei and seventy other beautiful women as a price back home to the south, and that he killed all those warriors on his own and took with him all the women and a load of gold worth a fortune and that he bought a villa for Cissnei where she can recover from everything and that Cloud asked her to marry him."

"And all of that in one day?" Tseng stifled a laugh.

"No, I believe it took three…" Reno said and looked out of the window with a thoughtful expression. "Anyway, Cloud, we owe you big time."

"Well" Tseng said, "It went a bit differently" he told Reno and Rude the entire story and Reno was very disappointed.

"Oh" he said, "I liked the first version better, so, Cloud, what happened to her, how is she, where is she, why are you here, what did Cissnei tell you, did she kick some ass?"

"Another time Reno," Cloud said, and prepared to leave the room, he had stayed here long enough and he knew that he wouldn't find any more information that he needed. He needed to look somewhere else, or find some leverage to make Tseng talk. For some reason, he knew that Tseng knew something, Cloud had considered for a moment to talk to the people who worked for the Turks, but Reno's story had just proved that kind of information wasn't as reliable as he had hoped.

"Why?" Reno whined, "why are you guys always so mysterious, why do you never tell me anything?" Cloud had no idea what it meant. He believed this was the first time that he hadn't told Reno what he wanted, and so he ignored Reno and turned for the door.

"Cloud, good luck with your search," Tseng almost whispered, "I will do for them what I can with my authority, but I can't guarantee anything. And remember…" Cloud turned around to hear him, "don't be prejudiced, be open for all alternatives, and…. information can be found on places where you don't expect to find it…."

Cloud nodded, not sure what to think of that information, and left the building, headed back to Seventh Heaven, for he had to talk to Cissnei.

When Cloud was back on the street, his phone suddenly started to beep furiously. Obviously, there was a bad connection inside of the building, because he suddenly had twelve missed calls, though his phone had not rang inside. Nine of the calls were from Seventh Heaven, which meant Tifa, the other three from Vincent. Something must be really wrong, if Vincent called him so many times. Tifa called him all the time, it probably wasn't such am emergency in her case. But Vincent….he must have something important to say.

Cloud quickly drove home to make his phone calls from there and check up on Cissnei and Tifa, he left his Fenrir on the pavement, so that if it was necessary, he could immediately drive away.

He walked inside, calm because nothing stirred there so nothing bad could have happened. If bad things happened, Tifa would freak out and it was something you could hear from outside.

"Tifa? I'm back!" he yelled through the bar… No answer.

"Tifa?" not even a movement, only the cold echo of his own voice in the vacant room.

"She… is… not here…" he heard a voice from the staircase at the other end of the room. He ran towards Cissnei's voice, who sounded as if the talking hurt and cost a lot of effort, she was walking down the stairs, steadying herself at the wall, her appearance feverish and her infected leg shaking every time she put her weight on it.

"Cissnei! Are you alright? steady there, be careful!" Cloud said, and he put an arm around her waist to help her of the last steps.

"Thanks," she said feebly, as he pulled a chair towards them and helped her sit down, she grimaced every time she moved her leg, but didn't complain.

"Your fever has come back," Cloud told her.

"Huh, you're kidding," Cissnei said, looking at him sarcastically, "I didn't notice."

"I'm sorry, what I meant, was that you should stay in bed until you are somewhat better, be calm and get as much rest as you can."

"Well, I am fairly sure that being mako-poisoned isn't the right way to get better either, so why not get up and go downstairs?" Cissnei said.

"Yeah, about that mako-poisoning… Do you know who-"

"Cloud, I remember barely anything of it anymore, and not who it was, I'm sorry. The first thing I remember afterwards is Tifa trying to calm me down while I was yelling unintelligible things. The odd thing is that at that point, I realized I was being stupid and that Tifa didn't understand me, and yet I couldn't get my mouth to stop screaming. My body had a will of its own, is what I thought. Anyway, I feel much better now."

Cloud looked at her, horrified "you feeling better now? Wow, I wonder how bad you felt before…"

"Very bad," Cissnei answered and produced a tiny smile.

"Talking about Tifa, by the way, where is she?" Cloud asked and looked around, "I figured she would force you to stay in bed until you are eighty-five."

He laughed silently, for some reason, Cissnei's optimistic behavior, had turned his mood more positive than before, he was feeling better now, and he knew that in this mood, it would be easier to look for the kids, because now his mind wasn't clouded with anger.

"I came down to tell you this, Cloud… Tifa has left, she went after the kids" Cissnei said, and her puffy, reddish eyes looked up at him in despair. She told him what had happened and how she had tried to stop Tifa, but that she had been so determined that she had left anyway.

"I don't understand…" Cloud said, although he knew somehow that Cissnei was right, Tifa indeed would do everything that gave her even the smallest chance to get the children back. He would do the same, of course, but then again, he _was_ stronger and faster than she was. Sure, Tifa was a good martial arts fighter, but how much could a person do with only his fists? Cloud had Fenrir, his buster sword, his incredible speed and his fearsome reputation. He was nearly undefeatable! What Tifa did could be suicide.

But on the other hand, they didn't have much information yet, perhaps Tifa had known more about it and it wasn't suicide at all. Perhaps she did have some master plan that could make everything right. After all, Tifa barely did anything without thinking it through. Not since she nearly died during Sephiroth's attack at Nibelheim when she tried to save her father. Tifa was a smart and sensible woman, she was strong, sweet, tough and brave and above all, very responsible. She would never go somewhere if it would mean that she would die.

Cissnei explained what she had heard and what Tifa had said before she left.

"I picked up a little bit of what the man on the other side of the line said…" Cissnei said, "Something about that Tifa had to help him with something and that the kids would be safe if she did that..."

Ah… Cloud's positive thoughts vanished. Yes, Tifa was an extremely responsible woman, and she never did anything without thinking it through, but if someone offered her the safety of the children, in exchange for her help, she would do it without thinking. Who wouldn't? It would give her the chance to save the kids and kick the ass of the kidnapper as well. He knew she must have been thinking that, she didn't care about her own life, as long as the children were safe. If someone had offered him the same thing, he would have done it as well.

Okay, so Tifa would help the mystery man, the question was: with what did she have to help him? Was it dangerous? and illegal?

It probably was, otherwise, the mystery man would only have had to ask Tifa in a friendly manner, and she would have helped him immediately. So the thing Tifa needed to do was something she had to be forced to and wouldn't do freely. All the villains that Cloud knew whirled through his head and he remembered what they all had done and what damage they had caused the world. Cloud shook his head to remove those thoughts. The bad guys had been defeated long ago, they were the living proof of it. There had been peace in the world for almost two years now.

But what did peace mean in this world? Bad things happened all the time and every time Cloud and his friends had solved it, they had thought peace was finally restored forever, yet every time some other person who held a grudge against the entire world arose and then suddenly they were fighting again. What was it that Rufus Shinra had said again?

'_The Life stream courses through our Planet back and forth across the borders of life and death. If that cycle is the very truth of life, then history, too, will inevitably repeat itself'_ Rufus was right. The entire planet was in a big loop of good and evil, and they were fighting to get the main role in the play all the time, but it seemed like evil was gaining strength at that very moment.

"I have to go there," Cloud concluded from his thoughts, he had to get Tifa out of there before she would help the mystery bad guy, something that must be really dangerous. Not only to herself, but probably also to others.

"Cloud, you can't!" Cissnei exclaimed, "It's highly dangerous!"

"That is exactly _why_ I need to go!" Cloud said, "It _is_ extremely dangerous, and so Tifa is in danger, I need to get her and the kids out of there!"

"Tifa chose to go there herself…" Cissnei answered in a soft voice, "it was her decision. If something happens to her, it is something that she knows. She has thought this through, Cloud, she knew the risks and she went nonetheless, It is very brave of her, _but_," she said, and her voice became louder now, more determined. "If something happens to her, it will probably be done by something that is strong enough to hurt you as well. People who have the power to capture and hurt Tifa, are really strong, we need reinforcements before we go there…"

"Yes, you are right," Cloud said and nodded, "wait… you said '_we'_?"

"You don't expect me to sit back and do nothing, Cloud?" Cissnei said and looked at him as if _he_ was the crazy one.

"You are ill, injured, fatigued and feverish, _of course_ you are going to sit this one out," Cloud answered. Cissnei knew that she couldn't do anything about it, because Cloud would stop her anyway, even if she was at full strength. She felt weak and left out and it hurt.

"Thank you" she said curtly. Cloud smiled just a little bit because of her reaction, but otherwise ignored her completely, his mind was with Tifa, wherever she was, and he was so concerned that it gave him a headache. Doing nothing was not something he usually did, not after the events that took place with Kadaj and his two blond "brothers".

He _had_ to do something, Tifa meant so much to him, she was a connection with his past in Nibelheim, she was his first love, and then his best friend, she was the one who had carried him through all his hard times, who had stood by his side even when he was about to break and she was the one who knew him the best. She was simply the person he loved most in this world, though not in a romantic way. Not anymore, that is.

But knowing that she would be hurt, hurt him more than he could say. It made his fingers tremble and his hand ball into fists, it made his feet restless, wanting to follow her wherever she was. He felt helpless now that Cissnei had told him not to follow her. It made him feel… useless, like a bad friend.

On the other hand, Cissnei was right as well, it could be pure suicide to go there on his own. He needed back-up first, but he didn't want his other friends in danger either. He knew that if he would call Yuffie, or Cid, or any other, they would help him without thinking, but that was exactly what he didn't want them to do. They _needed_ to think before they risked their lives.

He could ask Vincent, Vincent would help him no matter what happened. He didn't care much for his own life, and he was stronger than most other people he knew, and smarter too. Yuffie would hate Cloud for getting Vincent in trouble, but that was a risk that he was going to have to take.

Cloud shook his head while he reached for his phone, he noticed that he was thinking silly things just to get his mind off of Tifa. But he couldn't show weakness this time.

"Who are you going to call?" Cissnei asked when she saw that Cloud dialed a number.

"Vincent Valentine."

"The ex-turk? Why?"

"Because for some reason, Vincent always seems to know what to do at what moments, he never panics and he will help me." He pressed the "call" button.

"What do you want?" Vincent's threatening voice answered before the first ring.

"Well, I don't know, you called _me_ six times," Cloud answered immediately.

"Oh, Cloud, it's you," Vincent said, and he sounded relieved.

"Yeah, who else?"

"No one… I expected someone… else… to call" Cloud noticed Vincent's reluctance to talk about it so he decided not to ask further. Vincent asked why he and Tifa didn't pick up the phone and Cloud replied shortly about what happened and about where Tifa had gone.

"I was afraid of that…" Vincent said.

"Why? Do you know anything more about it?"

"I am at their base now, Cloud, and it is extremely dangerous here."

"Whose base? Where?" Cloud asked, confused.

"Cloud, you can NOT come here, you can't bring others, you have got to stay where you are. Trust me when I say you will not be able to safe Tifa or the kids _right now_. I will keep an eye on the three of them, but that's all I can do for now."

"Vince-"

"Stay where you are, Cloud," Vincent interrupted, "ah, someone's approaching, I have got to go. I'll report back every hour."

The line went dead and Cloud cursed.

"You heard Vincent, you've got to stay here," Cissnei said, happy that she wouldn't be left alone again.

"I know what Vincent said," Cloud hissed, feeling so helpless that it made him feel sixteen again, when he found Tifa in Nibelheim, severely wounded by Sephiroth. Like then, he couldn't do anything to save her, but this time, there even was no Zack to back him up, and no Sephiroth to kill to make her safe.

"So what will I do now?" Cloud asked.

"Sulk?" Cissnei suggested, "panic? Try to flee?"

"Very funny," Cloud answered darkly, he didn't sound like he found it funny at all, "but I am serious here."

"So am I, Cloud, all I am trying is to make you see that there isn't much else you _can_ do. If Vincent tells you to stay here, you should listen to him, and, we have to get people to help us."

"I don't want others to get into trouble…"

"Neither do I, but I guess we don't have much of a choice, the kids' parents need to be informed at some time about the kidnap of their children, and in order to get those children back, we need help. So I suggest you make some phone calls."

Suddenly, Cloud remembered Barrett and panicked more than he had so far. Calling Barrett was the worst thing he could do, and even though he had to, it was suicide. He would happily be willing to go to the enemy's camp without weapons if he could avoid calling Barrett.

"For instance, what will Marlene's father do when he finds out that Marlene is gone?" Cissnei asked, turning practical.

"Well…" Cloud answered, "he will kill me. No Barrett would _first_ kill me, then resurrect me and _then_ kill me again."

They talked about what to do and eventually agreed that they should wait for more information from Vincent before telling Barrett and the others about what happened. If it turned out to be too dangerous for the others to be involved in, they agreed on not telling their friends but asking Tseng for back-up.

"I don't think Tseng will help me anymore," Cloud suddenly remembered.

"What makes you think that?" Cissnei asked, "Tseng is an honorable man, of course he will help us. He cares for you and Tifa, and for me, that has to count for something!"

Cloud explained to Cissnei what he had said to Tseng and how they had parted.

"You make everything harder than it is already, don't you?" Cissnei asked and rubbed her temples.

"Well, I didn't know then that Tseng was the one who sent you to help Zack and me escape… so perhaps I shouldn't have been so angry with him, but I was stressed, okay?" Cloud said in defense.

"Okay, it's okay, but this just makes everything more difficult… what should we do now? We have to think of a way to make Tseng forgive you… he is a very forgiving man, luckily, but I do think that you should apologize to him," Cissnei said, "but let us first wait for news from Vincent Valentine."

Cloud nodded and prepared himself for another stressful hour, he sulked in silence, staring past Cissnei at the wall and ignoring her completely, though not on purpose at all. His mind was with his dearest Tifa and sweet Marlene and tough Denzel, all of them had been through so much… where were they now? Where they safe? Could he save them? What should he do?

"Cloud, I would really like something to drink," Cissnei said after a quarter of an hour, Cloud looked up at her face and saw that the blue circles underneath her eyes had reappeared and that a faint reddish glow was returning to her cheeks. Cloud had thought that she had looked bad when he had come in… now she looked as if she was dying again. He quickly jumped up and ran towards the bar, filling a glass with water and wishing that Tifa had taught him how to care for a deceased girl.

"You need to go back to bed and rest, Cissnei," Cloud said while he gave her the glass, which she drained in a second.

"No, Cloud, I can't, I want to stay here, I want to know what has happened and what will happen," she said and looked at Cloud with pleading eyes, "and I need to watch you, so you won't run off without me to do something stupid." A faint smile played around her lips, a sign that she was mocking him, but she was serious as well, and so determined that Cloud was sure he couldn't argue.

"You need to go to bed… but I will stay within your sight if it makes you happy." He sighed, Cissnei bit her lip as she considered that.

"Fine…" She eventually said gruffly. She tried to stand up and walk upstairs, but halfway on the way to the stairs, she collapsed and nearly hit the floor. Cloud saw what happened and was with her in a second, catching her before she hit the ground.

"Guess I am weaker than I thought," Cissnei said slowly.

"I guess so" Cloud answered sheepishly. He had planned to get her upstairs, wait until she fell asleep and then go after Tifa, but now he suddenly realized that he couldn't leave Cissnei. As much as it troubled him to have her here, and to be a link with his past, as much as he hated her to be the bringer of all the bad news and that she caused so much trouble at such a dangerous hour, he knew he could not leave her alone. Because even though she had come at an annoying time, she was still an ill, weak human under his protection and he could not stand losing another person who stood under his care.

He sighed heavily, dropping his plans of leaving and ignoring the aching stabs in his body that all directed him to Tifa and the kids and then he picked up Cissnei. He was surprised at how little she weighed. She was such a strong-willed woman, and he hadn't expected her body to be that fragile.

He looked at her face, her eyes closed and her lips slightly parting, breathing with difficulty, he shouldn't have been fooled by her stubbornness. She could pretend to be healthy all she wanted, but eventually her body would win. Eventually, her strong will wouldn't be enough to keep herself running. She needed rest, and whatever she was thinking, nobody could ever think that she was weak. Then why was she so determined to stay awake? It couldn't be because she enjoyed Cloud's presence so much, because he was stressed and grumpy all the time. Then why, why didn't she just sleep until she got better? It was not like the entire situation involved people she knew or cared about.

He carried Cissnei upstairs and laid her in bed, then picked up the chair from behind the desk and put it next to the bed, he sat down and waited until she woke up.

------

Vincent hid behind the bushes while the persons were coming closer. A part of him hoped that it would be the one who had called just half an hour before, but of course he knew that Lucrecia would never show herself to him, if it was true that she had miraculously escaped from the crystal. He had tried to think of a million ideas of who had called and how and why, but every time he came up with something, his former idea of the caller being Lucrecia came back into his mind. He would recognize that voice anywhere. He heard that voice in his sleep, and he saw the person who belonged to the voice before him when he closed his eyes.

Why had Lucrecia Crescent resurrected? Did she decide that she had atoned for her sins enough and that she could now start living again? But she had locked herself into the crystal forever, right? She was extremely depressed! And, if it was true that Lucrecia was alive again, why would she call him? And why now, when all these weird things were going on? Was her resurrection somehow connected to the kidnap of the kids? Did she have something to do with that?

Vincent didn't know the answers, the only thing he knew was that it _had_ been Lucrecia who had called… and that he was dying to see her.

There were two men walking towards the place where he was hiding, and Vincent's hand silently moved towards Cerberus, ready to shoot anyone who came too close.

"So, what do you think about all of this?"one of the men asked the other.

"Well, if the boss says we must do this, I just do this, I never ask questions. I just do my job and receive my money, I've got four children to feed, you know," the other man answered.

"Yes, I know, but doesn't it ever bother you that we just kidnap children now?"

"Nope, it's for the good cause."

"It was at first, I believed in the ideals… but kidnapping children? How can that be for the greater good?"

"Well, the boss says so… If I were you, I would watch my tongue."

The two men walked past Vincent without noticing him, they were carrying weapons, but they didn't look strong or well-trained at all.

Vincent frowned. So these men were from the secret base behind him, were they here out of free will, or were they forced, like some others? Were their minds played with? Was their will taken away from them, like from many others? And did they know anything about that base? It didn't seem likely, because of the low rank they had, and because they hadn't talked about anything they knew, but this might be the best chance for him to get some information.

Vincent walked out of the bushes in the Vincent-way, slowly, carelessly and perfectly threatening and at ease.

He didn't say "hands up" or "drop your guns," and he didn't come up with some fancy one-liner, all he said, was: "Who do you work for?"

He pointed his gun on them, and looked threatening enough to make even Sephiroth hesitate. One of the men, the one who had talked about his family and his good job, dropped his gun and held his hands in the air. The other man, the one who had doubted his boss's motives, held out a short blade and a little gun, his hands firm but shaking.

"W-what do you want?" he asked.

"I want information, and if you will give it to me, I will be friendly to you. Now, who do you work for?" Vincent said and scowled at the men.

-----

"Let her _go! _Let her GO, I tell you!" Denzel screamed at the man who was holding Marlene. The soldier was holding her tightly because she was trying to break free of his grasp and therefore he squeezed her arms so hard that it hurt Marlene. She didn't cry or gasp or anything like that, she only started to kick harder, trying to hurt the man that was holding her.

Denzel was held by a man as well, but he was more reserved, he was older than Marlene and he saw that the harder he tried to break free, the more men would come to guard them. And, his arm, where the wound was, hurt so much that if he _would_ try to kick someone, it would hurt so much that he would faint or something like that. He cared for his own safety, of course, but right now, he had forgotten about himself for the moment. He saw the guards hurting Marlene and it made him so angry, he loved Marlene as a little sister, she was the girl whose boyfriend he would have to punch when she would be fifteen. She was the girl who he didn't want to play with anymore because she was a girl and then everyone thought he was in love with her. _(Which he wasn't)_ he loved her as a sister, and he wanted to protect her properly, like a brother was supposed to do.

"Marlene, stop fighting, please," Denzel begged, "And please, sir, stop hurting her! You are hurting her! Stop it! NOW!" He screamed as loudly as he could, and he begged when it turned out that screaming didn't work. And when the men eventually started to pull Marlene's hair out of frustration, it became too much for Denzel, and he pulled free of his guard, ran towards the two men who were holding Marlene and punched the closest one in his guts, then wanted to turn to the next, but Marlene was faster and punched the guy on his nose with her small fist as hard as she could.

The two guards were hurt, but they were older, stronger and better trained than the children. One of them was bleeding, and the blood spat on the clothes of the two children, while they held them so tightly that it hurt a lot.

"You will come with me," the man who was holding Denzel said angrily, "and say goodbye to the little girl, I am fairly sure that you will never see her again."

------

"Cloud, is there any news?" Cissnei asked as soon as she opened her eyes, "did Vincent Valentine call?"

"Nope," Cloud mumbled, feeling stressed and depressed, "no, he hasn't."

"You are still here!" Cissnei said, wondered, "I thought you would leave when I would fall asleep, but you stayed with me!"

"Yeah, I thought about leaving…" Cloud said, "but I had to make sure that you wouldn't die, right?" Cissnei smiled weakly and nodded. They were both silent for a while, both staring at the cell phone on the desk as if staring would make it ring. The moment went on for so long, that eventually Cloud broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Tell me about your journey here, Cissnei," Cloud said. His voice was flat, toneless and tired, but he sounded genuinely interested, "I need something to make the time go faster, and I am really curious about what happened to you."

"Okay," Cissnei said, and she sighed deeply before beginning, "After I let you escape and Tseng ordered me to help you, he eventually gave me this box that contained letters, they belonged to Zack, but they had never reached him. We both knew that the letters were from Aerith, because all of us had seen them together a lot. I really liked Zack and I wanted him to have those letters, and Tseng really thought of Zack as a friend and he wanted Zack to have them too, though Tseng must have had other reasons for giving them to him."

"What makes you think that?" Cloud asked.

"Well, Tseng is Tseng, he would never risk his job and good reputation if it wasn't for something special, right?"

"Well, he did fancy Aerith, perhaps he sent her letters because he wanted her to like him?" Cloud asked.

"So he _did_ fancy Aerith, didn't he, I had always suspected a thing like that. But I don't think that is the reason. You don't know Tseng the way I do, and I am really positive that he had other motives for delivering those letters to Zack. You know, by that time, Zack was a national hero, he was the world's hope. If Tseng needed something to be done or someone to be saved, Zack was the perfect person to ask for help. He wouldn't say no, and he wouldn't fail." Cissnei's was fond of Zack, Cloud could hear that, her voice was kind and warm and her eyes were staring into the past, seeing people and situations that Cloud could not see.

"I see…"

"Anyway, Reno, Rude and I set out to find Zack and deliver him the box, unfortunately, we were attacked by someone, I don't know who it was exactly, and I fell out of the Helicopter, while Reno and Rude could get out of the tumult and flee. That was six months after we had left Tseng, I had the box with me, so I decided to continue the mission on my own, hoping that Reno and Rude had survived the attack."

"They showed up very soon after, fighting AVALANCHE" Cloud said.

"Yeah, I heard that afterwards, so I tried to find Zack on my own, I had lost his trail though when I fell out of the helicopter and I was completely lost. My mobile phone was running out of batteries and so I couldn't reach Tseng anymore, eventually, I reached Gongaga,"

"Zack's hometown!"

"Indeed, but there was no one there, seemed like the civilians had fled after the Nibelheim incident, afraid that it would happen to them as well. There was one old man who told me that First Class SOLDIER Zack had died after being attacked by men of Shinra. His own men, for crying out loud!" Cissnei nearly screamed those last words. "I lost all hope in ever finding Zack again, and I decided to quit the mission, but…. I had never quit a mission before, so I eventually decided not to do that this time either. I had seen you, Cloud, many times with Zack, and I knew that he would have wanted you to have the letters, so I didn't give up, but I went to look for you."

"When was that?"

"I think… around the time when Aerith died, I heard that many months later, and it made me so sad. All the work, all the effort, all the hope… It was all for nothing, because everyone was dying around me. In the meantime, I was attacked by various people I didn't know, but I managed to survive and keep the box. It took me some time to realize that it was the box that everyone wanted, that was when I realized that there was something special about it."

"What was it?"

"I don't know, Aerith was the last Cetra, of course, so anything she did was considered important. Anyway, eventually I had heard from someone that there was a 1st Class SOLDIER who had worked for a group called AVALANCHE and the stories I heard were so much Zack… I got hope that he hadn't died."

"I am sorry, I genuinely believed that I had been the 1st Class SOLDIER…" Cloud said, "It was Sephiroth who told me that, and I believed him, he was a good mind-tricker."

"I know. I found out about that when I spoke to someone named Jessie one day. She was a member of AVALANCHE, if I am right, and she had a huge crush on you. She told me that it was you who led them, then I understood."

"Jessie died..."

"Oh, I am sorry… really sorry, It seems like… everyone is dead" She was silent for a while, thinking, "anyway, I then set out to look for you, but fate didn't want me to find you. First, Meteor and all the Weapons made it dangerous to look for anyone on her own, then, two years later, Kadaj and his men hunted me down, and it cost me four months to lose them. After that, Weiss tracked me down and Dr Hojo wanted to experiment on me, and they both wanted the box."

"And you were never captured…" Cloud said, awe in his voice.

"No I wasn't, but I nearly died in the process, Kadaj gave me this wound, and I wasn't strong enough to make it heal, so I never healed properly, therefore it is still infected, even after all this time. So. Eventually, I found Midgar, but I had to flee when Omega came. And then, the last two months, I was finally without attacks. I heard about your quiet life in Edge and your life as the next national hero, I heard about what you have done… wow."

"Yeah, well, you see…"

"No, don't be modest, Cloud! You killed Sephiroth twice. You know… you became who Zack wanted to be, I am sure that Zack would have been extremely proud of you!"

"I had said… that I would live both of our lives," Cloud mused.

"You did," Cissnei said, looking up at Cloud and smiling, "you did," Cloud smiled in return, feeling better all of a sudden.

"Thank you, Cissnei, for everything. You have risked your life for me and Zack more than once, and I owe you a lot, thank you a thousand times."

Cissnei wanted to reply, but then the phone rang, they shortly looked at each other, and then Cloud quickly jumped up, ran towards the bar, and picked up the phone.

"Tifa?" he yelled into the phone.

"No, it's me Vincent," Vincent's voice answered, and he sounded darker than normal.

"Oh, hi, is there any news?" Cloud asked eagerly.

"There are weird things going on, Cloud, really weird things like… things that can't really happen…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I just caught a glimpse of Tifa… armed and dressed for fighting, fighting…you."

Cloud nearly dropped the telephone, and gasped.

"Why would she do that?" Cloud asked, horrified, "to save the kids?"

"I don't know, Cloud, I am going to find out about it right now, I will report back to you in an hour. Just be careful and keep an eye out for Tifa, oh, and the kids are still alive, but that is all that they are right now… I have to go." The line disconnected, leaving Cloud scared and sad with the phone in his hand.

He stood there for a couple of minutes, until he remembered Cissnei in the other room.

"What happened?" Cissnei asked, as soon as she saw Cloud's horrified face, Cloud explained her what Vincent had said and then put his head in his hands in despair.

"Oh, Cloud, I am so sorry," Cissnei said compassionately, "I am so sorry for coming here in the first place. It is like I have a bad influence on everything! Like everywhere I come, bad things happen."

"It's not you, Cissnei, it is just that stupid box, it attracts evil," Cloud answered to make Cissnei feel better.

"I am sure that if Aerith had known what danger that box would cause others, she would never have written them… She was such a good person, so in a way… it is good that she doesn't know what happened to them and what the letters caused others," Cissnei said, biting her lip again as she was thinking aloud.

"Or…" Cloud said, lifting his head as everything fell into place all of a sudden, "or, she _did _know about it."

"What do you mean, Cloud? What did Aerith know?" Cissnei answered. Cloud stared past her as he remembered all the things that Tseng had said to him, then all that Aerith had said in those first eight letters that he had read…

"Yes, I am sure that Aerith was completely aware of what would happen," Cloud said, his voice becoming louder with every word, "think about it… I knew Tseng was keeping something from me, but when I was leaving, he told me that I could find information at a place that I wouldn't expect. Aerith wrote in those letters that Reno, Rude, Elena and occasionally Tseng were guarding her, and that she was not allowed to say _whatever she wanted_. She knew something that she wanted to tell Zack about, but she couldn't, because Reno was reading what she was writing all the time. Then, today, Reno told me something about that 'we people' are always so mysterious, that we never told him anything. And I think he was referring to Aerith. Aerith never told him what he wanted to know. Aerith knew something that was important…" The logic hit hard, and he was flying high because of his discovery.

"Cloud," Cissnei answered, hesitating, "Aerith knew _a lot_ of important things, everybody knew that. How can you know that the things she knew are in those letters and that they concern the kidnap of the children? She might have known other things than that. And, even if she _had_ known something about what is happening now, you will never know what it was. Because, indeed, Reno never found out about it, even though the Turks read Aerith's letters before they were sent. If Aerith wrote to Zack about something important, the Turks would know."

"Well, Cissnei, first of all, the letters _are _important, otherwise they wouldn't have been hunted down so many times. You are the –though barely- living proof of that. So Aerith did put some information in there. You don't know Aerith as I did, Cissnei, and I know that Aerith always got her way. If she wanted Zack to know things… She would find a way to tell him. So you Turks would never have had to find out. Then, secondly, I know that it concerns our problems now, because the moment you came here, trouble started. The box is the thing that attracts so many problems… up until now. And Vincent knew that something bad was going to happen, and he is always right… Yes, I am sure that those letters are important. We need to read them to look for codes!" Cloud said, enthusiastic.

"That will take ages!"

"I know," Cloud answered, "but it is the only thing we can do now." He stood up, smiled at Cissnei, full of confidence now. He touched her hand briefly, but quickly pulled back, startled, and went to his room to get the box.

He knew that his logic wasn't perfect, but his instinct told him he was right. He would find a solution in those letters. A message to Zack, with an explanation of what was happening now. It was his last hope of finding out what to do. And he _would_ find out.

With a smile, he entered his room, to get the last hope he could hold onto.

There was still a trace of that smile on his face when he saw the man in his room, he was pointing Cerberus, the gun with three barrels at Cloud's chest and, which was even more disturbing, he was holding the box of letters.

--------------------------------

**This was the end of chapter three. I hope you, or at least those who managed to read this far, enjoyed this chapter. I have already started on chapter four, so that won't take too long either.  
If you want to know what I am working on, when new stories will come out and if you want to read little previews of coming chapters and stories, check my profile regularly, for I will keep my profile up to date on what I am working on.**

**In the next chapter, there will be romance, there will be more Cissnei in action, more Vincent, more members of Avalanche, more Turks, more letters of Aerith, more discoveries, and, of course… **_**more enemy Tifa!**_

**Thanks for reading and**_** reviewing**_**! It makes me happy and makes it worth writing more!  
Kisses  
Eline**


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